Boniface IX

Boniface IX, detail from a statue, 14th century; in the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, RomeAlinari/Art Resource, New York

Boniface IX, (born c. 1355, Naples—died Oct. 1, 1404, Rome), pope from 1389 to 1404; he was the second pontiff to rule in Rome during the Western Schism (1378–1417).

Created cardinal deacon early in life and cardinal priest by Urban VI in 1385, he succeeded Urban, whose disputed election was the original cause of the rupture between Rome and Avignon over legal claimants to the papal throne. Boniface, viewing the Schism as a political problem, resorted to all possible means of raising money in order to win allies against the Avignon antipopes Clement VII (whom he excommunicated) and Clement’s successor, Benedict XIII. He not only failed to end the breach, but he also aroused hostility by his high-handed methods to raise the large sums of money required for his campaigns.